


Haze

by Elisexyz



Series: Whumptober 2019 (AOS) [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Injury, Introspection, Missing Scene, Post-Episode: s02e10 What They Become, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-13 17:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21001277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisexyz/pseuds/Elisexyz
Summary: He emerges already fighting.





	Haze

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "Don't move" prompt in the Whumptober 2019 event.  
  
I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH I LOVE THESE TWO. @me welcome back in rarepair hell.

He emerges already fighting. He isn’t sure what set off the alarms first, if the haziness of his thoughts or the throbbing pain in his chest, but he knows as soon as he is awake that something isn’t _right_, his instincts telling him that he isn’t safe even as he cannot remember why.

He can’t breathe right, moving hurts, he can’t _think_—there’s something pushing him down, solid pressure on his shoulders opposing his attempt at a struggle. Grant tries to blink away the fog surrounding him, and that hurts too, his eyes burning and a sharp pain shooting through his forehead.

The voice on his right reaches his ears several moments too late, initially a senseless bubble as he tries to think beyond his panic at knowing that he isn’t safe and he can’t seem to move right and he doesn’t know what is going on.

When he turns, he easily ignores that his neck is sore too, a light pain compared to everything else, a familiar face coming into focus as her words start making some sense.

_May_.

The name flashes through his head with a jolt of alarm, his muscles tensing defensively and only reminding him that she still has a firm hand settled on his shoulder, keeping him down.

“Grant?” she questions, hesitant, biting her bottom lip, which is half burned off.

_Not May_.

He relaxes somewhat, his eyes darting to his surroundings and taking in the cheap motel room sheltering them for the time being, some resemblance of reason coming back to him with the thought of Skye mercilessly shooting him down arriving to sober him up. For a second, he isn’t sure what kind of pain makes it harder to breathe.

“You shouldn’t move,” Not May advises, sounding a little less unsure. She slowly removes her hand from his shoulder, hesitating mid-air before settling down on a chair and coming to interlace her fingers on her lap. “You are hurt,” she reminds him, not quite the scolding that it should probably be.

_Agent 33_, he remembers, a shot of sympathy mixed to kinship making its way through the haze. She found him when she was scared and alone, having just lost her master, and Grant needed the help.

_Kara_, she told him at some point, when she was trying to keep him alive and he started asking questions in an attempt at stopping himself from slipping away. He isn’t sure at which point he passed out, but he remembers the concentrated frown on her face, her fear as she took in the extent of the damage, and the note of desperation in her voice when trying to shake him back into full consciousness.

He feels a smile tugging at his lips, and with no little effort he manages to rasp out: “Thanks.”

She appears surprised, even more so when he shifts slightly in her direction, reaching out even as his arm suddenly weights a lot more than it should.

Eventually, Kara clasps his hand. Her hold is a little slack in the beginning, a slight tremor in her fingers – or perhaps that’s him, Grant isn’t sure –, but when he squeezes a little tighter she slowly pulls his hand on her lap, shielding it between both of hers.

She searches for his eyes, as if awaiting for his approval, and he can only smile, warmth erupting through the pain in his chest at the welcome feeling of being cared for, his thoughts beginning to drift and his body wailing for some sleep.

Through already half-closed eyelids, he sees her flashing a bit of a smile his way and he concludes that she must be the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates comments, including: 
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


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